unique since 1892

Berghotel
Oeschinensee

Welcome to Oeschinensee!

The Wandfluh family has been hosting guests at Oeschinensee since the mountain hotel was built in 1892. The hotel is now run by a 30-strong team in the 5th generation . Some employees have been part of the business for over 25 years.

Mountain gastronomy at 1600 meters above sea level is not the same as city gastronomy. All the logistics are handled by our team - every carrot, every bottle of wine and every roll of toilet paper is loaded onto the train and transported from the mountain station to the lake. Good planning in purchasing is therefore essential. We also operate the drinking water network ourselves.

In the kitchen we use fresh and regional products and the dishes are prepared with a lot of know-how by our chefs. We have a selection of vegetarian, vegan, lactose-free and gluten-free dishes. All meat comes from the region, if possible in organic quality. For our lamb dishes we only use meat from our farm in Kandersteg. We are very proud that everything in our kitchen is home-made(no convenienceproducts ).

Enjoy your stay at Oeschinensee and "ä Guete"!

Lea & Christoph, 5th generation hosts

Restaurant directly at the Oeschinensee

Restaurant Oeschinensee open - small menu

The restaurant directly on the lake with a view of the Unesco World Heritage Site

A cozy open fire and fine lamb specialties from our own farm or homemade spaetzli dishes invite you to enjoy. Here you will find a delicious cake buffet with fine fruit cakes, muffins or the "Best Nussgipfel of the Mountains".

Lactose-free and gluten-free dishes are available as standard for allergy sufferers. A vegetarian and vegan selection is also a matter of course.

Opening hours
March 17 - May 09, 2025: 11.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. | drinks and snacks only | open 7 days a week
May 10 - November 09, 2025: 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. | normal menu | open 7 days a week

Menu Restaurant am See Online

Book a table online
only from 8 persons

Restaurant Bergstübli (at the mountain station)

Restaurant Bergstübli (mountain station) closed

The restaurant with the sunniest terrace in winter is located right by the mountain station and next to the children's Oeschiland. From simple snacks to hearty dishes, you'll find everything here.

Lactose-free and gluten-free dishes are available as standard for allergy sufferers. A vegetarian and vegan selection is also a matter of course.

Opening hours
March 17 - May 09, 2025: closed
May 10 - November 09, 2025: 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. | drinks and snacks | open 7 days a week

Menu Bergstübli Online

Fondue sledges (Fondue2Go) | only during the winter season

Nature, peace and quiet and a view - a perfect alternative to going to a restaurant. This is what the Fondue2Go sets offer.

They can be pre-ordered simply and easily until 11.30 am. Pick up the box at the Bergstübli restaurant (mountain station) and find your favorite place to enjoy your adventure. The sets are provided with a sledge and a woolen blanket.

Opening hours
Available again from December 2025

Order online Shop

Café bar directly on Oeschinensee | only during the summer season

Cafebar at Oeschinensee - closed

Opening hours
until May 09, 2025: closed
May 10 - November 09, 2025: 09:00 to 17:30 | drinks and snacks | open 7 days a week

#unique since 1892

Berghotel Oeschinensee - a family business since 1892

Guests from all over the world were quick to recognize the beauty of Lake Oeschinen above Kandersteg. This was one of the reasons why David Wandfluh decided to build an inn on Oeschinensee in 1890. At that time, great-great-grandfather Wandfluh was a farmer in Kandergrund. In addition to gastronomy, our family has also preserved the tradition of "being a farmer". Today, the mountain hotel is run by the fifth generation and is entirely family-owned. No investors and one hundred percent independent - businesses with a long-standing tradition are unfortunately becoming increasingly rare. We are therefore particularly proud to stand for tradition, quality and humanity.

Farm

Sheep have long been our passion and at the same time our family meditation. The farm has around 30 animals. The sheep spend the summer on the steep slopes below the gondola lift. We only use fodder that grows in our own meadows and which we bring in ourselves in the summer. All the meat is slaughtered locally in Kandersteg and processed and prepared by us in our own kitchen. The hard but beautiful work gives us pleasure and we are very proud of our meat products. We also sell the sheepskins and lambskins at Oeschinensee. Since 2023, the farm has been run jointly with the Grossen family from Reginahof in Kandersteg and comprises around 40 cows, 20 cattle and 50 sheep.

Berghotel Oeschinensee - History

Today

We want to move more and more from seasonal to annual operation. With the small offer in the restaurant directly on the lake, a basic offer is also provided in the times without railroad operation. Thanks to the new hiking trail from Kandersteg to Oeschinensee , visitors can reach Oeschinensee more easily and, above all, safely all year round. Cooperation on the mountain is better than ever before. All partners are pulling in the same direction and regular meetings are held with neighboring businesses. The uncertainty of the "Spitzen Stei" has brought us closer together.

Set new sails

The number of visitors is steadily increasing, but there are also frequent staff departures. The team shrinks from 40 to 23 employees within a few weeks. However, the average number of years of service in the team is still 16. In just six weeks, we successfully converted the business into a self-service restaurant so that we can continue to offer our guests first-class cuisine. Unfortunately, our request to extend the toilet facilities was rejected by the canton. The hotel will remain closed for overnight stays from the summer for the time being.

Logistk

An Iveco delivery van with a lifting platform was purchased, which means that all logistics are now handled via the gondola lift instead of the private road. Due to regular official closures of the access road due to natural hazards from the "Spitzen Stei", reliable planning is no longer possible. Intensive investment is being made in making work easier (ergonomics) throughout the entire operation. Furthermore, compactors for waste from the entire mountain region were purchased with all partners on the mountain. We take care of the disposal up to the waste incineration plant in Thun ourselves.

Pandemic

The uncertain situation surrounding the "Spitze Stei" and Corona prompted us to come up with new ideas. Together with our 30-strong team, we are constantly working on new ideas. This is also how our "Fondue2Go" and "Oeschi-Glacé" came about. Fortunately, we were able to overcome the pandemic without financial support. All employees were kept on through the period and there were no redundancies.

Food Trucks & Bergstübli

The first food truck was manufactured by the carpenter according to our specifications. The second followed a year later. The Bergstübli at the mountain station was taken over. The official closure of the "Spitze Stei" with a lead time of 24 hours is always in the back of our minds. The mobile food trucks and the Bergstübli can therefore offer employees and guests something to eat when the Berghotel am See has to close.

Return

David Jr (Christoph's older brother) comes back home after his years of traveling. He has been working in the kitchen ever since and actively supports us.

5th generation

Christoph (hotelier) & Lea (PR specialist) Wandfluh take over the business in the 5th generation. Together with their two children, the family spends the summer at Oeschinensee. The team comprises around 15 employees. The first floor is completely renovated. The cold storage rooms are also extended.

Fiber optics & sewerage

All businesses on the mountain must connect to the Kandersteg sewer system. In addition, a fiber optic cable will be laid to Oeschinensee . A new supply line will be dug for the drinking water supply to the mountain hotel. The entire costs will be borne by the public.

Horse-drawn carriage

More and more older guests found the walk from the lake back to the mountain station too long. Heart attacks were the result. From 2003 to 2006, a horse-drawn carriage therefore transported mainly older guests from the mountain station to Oeschinensee. The work was too strenuous for the horses, so from 2007 an electric scooter was used (the first prototype was a flop).

4th generation

David & Susanna Wandfluh take over the family business and continue to run it in the 4th generation. Over the next 30 years, the house was completely renovated and refurbished. The kitchen was extended, the refrigeration systems expanded, all rooms renovated and a solar system installed at the beginning of the 1990s.

Construction of the chairlift

David Wandfluh builds the von Roll Bern company's 2-seater chairlift from Kandersteg to Oeschinen. The construction of a chairlift was a pioneering achievement at the time - not much success was expected from a cableway through the air. At the time, funiculars on rails were more in vogue than a cable car in the air.

1945

During the war, international tourism collapsed completely. It was mainly Swiss guests and many school trips that visited Oeschinensee. Menu of the day: Soup with sausage, CHF 2 - one sausage for two children.

Extension 1912

The mountain hotel was generously extended. Today's floor plan is largely the same as it was back then. Among other things, an open "drinking hall" was built. The "donkey stable" is still preserved today.

Foundation 1892

David Wandfluh builds the mountain hotel at Oeschinensee as a small guesthouse with 10 rooms and a restaurant.

2024

2023

2022

2020

2019

2015

2012

2013

2003

1981

1949

Wartime

Extension

Construction of the mountain hotel

Contact & Arrival

Berghotel Oeschinensee AG
3718 Kandersteg

office@berghotel-oeschinensee.ch

+41 33 675 11 19

No public access
From Kandersteg you can reach Oeschinensee on foot or by cable car. Overnight stays are currently not possible. In winter, a snowshoe trail leads from Kandersteg to Oeschinensee. Follow the signs from the cable car valley station (approx. 1.5 h). The gondola lift takes 25 minutes to reach us on foot from the mountain station.

Car or motorcycle
Google Maps coordinates
Parking spaces are available at the valley station of the gondola lift.

Public transport
From Bern or Brig: hourly connections to Kandersteg with BLS. From Kandersteg railroad station on foot (15 minutes) or local bus (8 minutes) to the valley station of the Kandersteg gondola Oeschinensee. You can find the timetable here.

Electric shuttle from the mountain station to the lake
In summer daily from 10.45 to 16.45 / 17.45 from the mountain station to Oeschinensee, CHF 10 per trip. Persons with reduced mobility or senior citizens have priority at all times.

Arrival from the airport
There are hourly trains to Kandersteg from Zurich, Geneva, Basel and Bern airports. We do not offer a pick-up service from the airport.